Connected controls infrastructure

ABSTRACT

A luminaire network improves energy efficiency, reduces light pollution, improves the robustness of luminaire control, and reduces maintenance time and costs by implementing intelligent and selective lighting control. For example, the luminaire network may automatically control dimming, light activation, light deactivation, static or dynamic luminaire grouping, and luminaire group control by implementing a hybrid control scheme that accounts for (i) local or global fixed schedules (e.g., based on time of day, worker schedules, etc.), (ii) detected daylight, (iii) detected motion of workers, and (iv) feedback from luminaires in the luminaire network. Further, one or more electronic devices (e.g., mobile devices) may couple to the luminaire network and may facilitate easy monitoring, configuration, and manual control of luminaires in the luminaire network, even when remotely connected to the luminaire network (e.g., via the cloud).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of IndianApplication No. 201921036251, filed Sep. 9, 2019 and titled “CONNECTEDCONTROLS INFRASTRUCTURE,” and Indian Application No. 201921041224, filedOct. 11, 2019 and titled “CONNECTED CONTROLS INFRASTRUCTURE,” the entiredisclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a connected controls systemfor controlling a luminaire network in a process control environmentand, more particularly, to techniques for managing a hybrid controlscheme for the luminaire network including local and centralcontrollers.

BACKGROUND

Distributed process control systems, such as distributed or scalableprocess control systems like those used in power generation, chemical,petroleum, or other processes, typically include one or more processcontrollers communicatively coupled to each other, to at least one hostor operator workstation via a process control network, and to one ormore instrumentation or field devices via analog, digital, or combinedanalog/digital buses.

The field devices perform functions within the process or plant such asopening or closing valves, switching devices on and off, and measuringprocess parameters. Example field devices include valves, valvepositioners, switches, and transmitters (e.g., devices including sensorsfor measuring temperature, pressure, or flow rate; and transmitters fortransmitting the sensed temperatures, pressures, and flow rates).

The process controllers, which are typically located within the plantenvironment, receive signals indicative of process measurements made bythe field devices (or other information pertaining to the field devices)and execute a controller application that runs, for example, differentcontrol modules which make process control decisions, generate controlsignals based on the received information, and coordinate with thecontrol modules or blocks being implemented in smart field devices(e.g., HART®, WirelessHART®, and FOUNDATION® Fieldbus field devices).

Execution of the control modules causes the process controllers to sendthe control signals over the communication links or signal paths to thefield devices, to thereby control the operation of at least a portion ofthe process plant or system (e.g., to control at least a portion of oneor more industrial processes running or executing within the plant orsystem). For example, a first set of controller(s) and field devices maycontrol a first portion of a process being controlled by the processplant or system, and a second set of controller(s) and field devices maycontrol a second portion of the process.

I/O cards (sometimes called “I/O devices” or “I/O modules”), which arealso typically located within the plant environment, typically arecommunicatively disposed between a controller and one or more fielddevices, enabling communications there between (e.g. by convertingelectrical signals into digital values and vice versa). Typically, anI/O card functions as an intermediary node between a process controllerand one or more field devices configured for the same communicationprotocol or protocols as those utilized by the I/O card.

As utilized herein, field devices, controllers, and I/O devices maygenerally be referred to as “process control devices,” and are generallylocated, disposed, or installed in a field environment of a processcontrol system or plant. The network formed by one or more controllers,the field devices communicatively connected to the one or morecontrollers, and the intermediary nodes facilitating communicationbetween the controllers and field devices may be referred to as an “I/Onetwork” or “I/O subsystem.”

Information from the I/O network(s) may be made available over a datahighway or communication network (the “process control network”) to oneor more other hardware devices, such as user interface devices (e.g.,operator workstations, maintenance interfaces, personal computers orcomputing devices, handheld devices, etc.), data historians, reportgenerators, centralized databases, or other centralized administrativecomputing devices that are typically placed in control rooms or otherlocations away from the harsher field environment of the plant (e.g., ina back-end environment of the process plant).

Regarding user interface devices, the information communicated over theprocess control network enables an operator or a maintenance person toperform desired functions with respect to the process via one or morehardware devices connected to the network. These hardware devices mayrun applications that enable an operator to, e.g., change settings ofthe process control routine(s), modify the operation of the controlmodules within the process controllers or the smart field devices, viewthe current state of the process or status of particular devices withinthe process plant, view alarms generated by field devices and processcontrollers, simulate the operation of the process for the purpose oftraining personnel or testing the process control software, diagnoseproblems or hardware failures within the process plant, etc. The processcontrol network or data highway utilized by the hardware devices,controllers, and field devices may include a wired communication path, awireless communication path, or a combination of wired and wirelesscommunication paths.

In addition to the devices described above, a typical process controlsystem includes many other supporting devices related to processoperation. These additional devices may include power supply equipment,power generation and distribution equipment, rotating equipment such asturbines, chillers, and various other devices. These additional devicesmay be located at numerous places in a typical plant.

Further, a typical process control plant includes numerous industriallights throughout the plant to illuminate equipment and working areas.Process control environments can present a number of challenges forlighting systems. For example, process control plants often operatecontinuously without breaks in production (e.g., 24 hours a day andseven days a week). Consequently, when lights malfunction, the lack oflight in a particular area can negatively impact a worker's ability toperform his or her job. For example, a maintenance worker attempting toservice a valve may be forced to rely on a portable and potentiallyinadequate light sources (e.g., flashlights), which may result in moredifficult, more time consuming, and more error prone work by the worker.Another potential challenge relates to the difficulty associated withknowing when and where lights should be activated and deactivated. Aplant may have workers occupying numerous roles (e.g., operators,maintenance workers, control engineers, managers, etc.), all of whom mayhave different reasons and times for entering the plant environment andneeding illumination. In some cases, a plant may simply choose to leaveall of their industrial lights (or a significant number of theirindustrial light) activated while the plant is operational (e.g., 24hours a day, seven days a week).

Finally, process control environments may be challenging in that manyinclude hazardous areas. Generally speaking, when used in the context ofprocess control environments, the phrase “hazardous area” refers to anarea in which the environment or atmosphere is potentially explosive dueto explosive gas or dust. Typically, when an area of a plant isdesignated as a hazardous area, the plant restricts that area to onlyallow equipment that is certified as complying with all Intrinsic Safety(IS) standards. Generally speaking, the only al

IS standards impose restrictions on electrical equipment and wiring inhazardous environments to ensure that electrical equipment and wiringwill not ignite an explosion. To comply with IS standards, engineersgenerally design electrical equipment with two core concepts in mind:energy limitation and fault tolerance.

The first IS concept dictates that an IS device be designed such thatthe total amount of energy available in the device be below a thresholdsufficient to ignite an explosive atmosphere. The energy can beelectrical (e.g., in the form of a spark) or thermal (e.g., in the formof a hot surface). While IS standards can be complex, they generallyrequire that any voltage within a circuit be less than 29 V; that anycurrent within a circuit be under 300 mA; and that the power associatedwith any circuit or circuit component be under 1.3 W. A circuit havingelectrical characteristics exceeding these thresholds may pose anexplosion risk due to arcing or heat.

The second IS concept dictates that that an IS device be designed in afault tolerant manner, such that it maintains safe energy levels evenafter experiencing multiple failures. In short, IS standards reflect aphilosophy that circuit faults are inevitable and that energy levels ofthe circuit must be limited to safe levels when these circuit faultsoccur.

While IS certified lighting exists, the measures taken to meet ISstandards impose numerous constraints on the designs of the lights. Forexample, it can be difficult to design or modify typical wirelesstransceivers, which might otherwise be used to create a networked lightfixture in a non-hazardous environment, to comply with IS standards. Putsimply, typical wireless protocols for wireless LANs (e.g., Wifi) andPANs (e.g., Bluetooth) were not necessarily designed with the goal ofbeing implemented in an intrinsically safe manner.

Note, this background section is intended to provide context that may behelpful for understanding and appreciating the detailed descriptionbelow. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent described inthis background section, as well as aspects of the background sectionthat may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, isneither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against thepresent disclosure.

SUMMARY

A luminaire network improves energy efficiency, reduces light pollution,improves the robustness of luminaire control, and reduces maintenancetime and costs by implementing intelligent and selective lightingcontrol. For example, the luminaire network may automatically controldimming, light activation, light deactivation, static or dynamicluminaire grouping, and luminaire group control by implementing a hybridcontrol scheme that accounts for (i) local or global fixed schedules(e.g., based on time of day, worker schedules, etc.), (ii) detecteddaylight, (iii) detected motion of workers, and (iv) feedback fromluminaires in the luminaire network. Further, one or more electronicdevices (e.g., mobile devices) may couple to the luminaire network andmay facilitate easy monitoring, configuration, and manual control ofluminaires in the luminaire network, even when remotely connected to theluminaire network (e.g., via the cloud).

In an embodiment, a system or luminaire network for managing hybridlocal and non-local control of luminaires in a process controlenvironment comprises any one or more of the following components. Thesystem may include a luminaire configured to implement a first controlscheme to generate a first one or more commands to control a lightsource of the luminaire based on one or more of: (a) a schedule; (b) afirst parameter representing a level of ambient light; and (c) a secondparameter representing a level of detected motion. The system mayinclude a supervisory controller configured to implement a secondcontrol scheme for controlling one or more luminaires (e.g., includingthe previously mentioned luminaire). The system may include a gatewayconfigured to enable communication between the luminaire and thesupervisory controller, wherein the gateway is configured to: (i) coupleto the luminaire via a first link conforming to a process controlprotocol configured to enable field devices in a process controlenvironment to wirelessly communicate by way of command-responsecommunications utilizing a preconfigured set of protocol parameters forthe process control protocol; and (ii) couple to the supervisorycontroller without utilizing the process control protocol. The luminairemay be further configured to: (i) receive, via the first link, awireless signal carrying a protocol parameter from the preconfigured setof protocol parameters; (ii) analyze a value of the protocol parameterto identify a second command to control the light source of theluminaire, wherein the second command is generated by way of thesupervisory controller implementing the second control scheme; and/or(iii) prioritize the second control scheme over the first control schemeby implementing the second command to control the light source, suchthat the light source is controlled in accordance with the secondcommand regardless of whether a conflict exists between the secondcommand and the first one or more commands generated by way of theluminaire implementing the first control scheme.

In an embodiment, a luminaire comprises any one or more of: (A) ahousing; (B) a light source disposed within the housing such that lightis projectable from the light source to an area external to the housing;(C) a communication interface disposed in the housing and configured tocommunicate according to a process control protocol configured to enablefield devices in a process control environment to wirelessly communicateby way of command-response communications utilizing a preconfigured setof protocol parameters for the process control protocol; and (D) aluminaire controller. The luminaire controller may be configured to (i)implement a first control scheme to generate a first one or morecommands to control the light source based on one or more of: (a) aschedule; (b) a first parameter representing a level of ambient light;and (c) a second parameter representing a level of detected motion. Theluminaire controller may be further configured to (ii) receive, via thecommunication interface, a wireless signal carrying a protocol parameterfrom the preconfigured set of protocol parameters; (iii) analyze a valueof the protocol parameter to identify a second command to control thelight source, wherein the second command is generated by way of thesupervisory controller implementing the second control scheme; and (iii)prioritize the second control scheme over the first control scheme byimplementing the second command to control the light source, such thatthe light source is controlled in accordance with the second commandregardless of whether a conflict exists between the second command andthe first one or more commands generated by way of the first controlscheme.

In an embodiment, a method may comprise any one or more of the followingoperations. For example, the method may comprise implementing, by aluminaire, a first control scheme to generate a first one or morecommands to control a light source of the luminaire based on one or moreof: (a) a schedule; (b) a first parameter representing a level ofambient light; and (c) a second parameter representing a level ofdetected motion. The method may comprise receiving, at the luminaire, awireless signal conforming to a process control protocol configured toenable field devices in a process control environment to wirelesslycommunicate by way of command-response communications utilizing apreconfigured set of protocol parameters for the process controlprotocol. Further, the method may comprise analyzing the wireless signalto identify a protocol parameter, from the preconfigured set of protocolparameters, carried by the wireless signal. The method may compriseanalyzing the protocol parameter to identify a second command to controlthe light source, the second command generated and transmitted by asupervisory controller implementing a second control scheme. Finally,the method may comprise prioritizing the second control scheme over thefirst control scheme by implementing the second command to control thelight source, such that the light source is controlled in accordancewith the second command regardless of whether a conflict exists betweenthe second command and the first one or more commands generated by wayof the luminaire implementing the first control scheme.

Finally, in an embodiment, a method may comprise any one or more of thefollowing operations. For example, the method may comprise generating aset of commands for controlling a set of luminaires. Further, the methodmay comprise encoding the set of commands into a process control messageincluding one or more protocol parameters selected from a preconfiguredset of protocol parameters for a process control protocol that isconfigured to enable field devices in a process control environment towirelessly communicate by way of command-response communicationsutilizing the preconfigured set of protocol parameters; wherein the oneor more protocol parameters carry the set of commands; wherein theprocess control message is formatted according to the process controlprotocol. Additionally, the method may comprise encoding, according toone or more protocols from the Internet protocol suite, the processcontrol message into an Internet protocol suite (IP) message so that theprocess control message is encapsulated in the IP message. The methodmay comprise transmitting the IP message to a gateway. The gateway maybe configured to perform any one or more of the following operations:(i) receive the IP message; (ii) decode the IP message, according to theone or more protocols from the Internet protocol suite, to identify theprocess control message; (iii) decode the process control message,according to the process control protocol, to identify (a) the one ormore protocol parameters carrying the set of commands; and (ii)corresponding device addresses for each of the one or more protocolparameters; and (v) transmit the one or more protocol parameters to thecorresponding device addresses so that the set of luminaires assignedthe device addresses (a) receives the one or more protocol parameters,(b) decodes the one or more protocol parameters to identify the set ofcommands for controlling the set of luminaires, and (c) control the setof luminaires in accordance with the set of commands.

Note, this summary has been provided to introduce a selection ofconcepts further described below in the detailed description. Asexplained in the detailed description, certain embodiments may includefeatures and advantages not described in this summary. Further, certainembodiments may omit one or more features or advantages described inthis summary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Each of the figures described below depicts one or more aspects of thedisclosed system(s) or method(s), according to an embodiment. Thedetailed description refers to reference numerals included in thefollowing figures.

FIG. 1 shows an example process plant, process control system, orprocess control environment 5 including a CCLS or luminaire networkconfigured to implement a hybrid control scheme in which luminaires arecontrolled according to both local luminaire controllers and a remotesupervisory controller capable of controlling multiple luminaires.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the luminaire network(also shown in FIG. 1) that facilitates hybrid control of luminairesaccording to control schemes locally implemented by the luminaires andcontrol scheme(s) implemented by supervisory light controller(s).

FIG. 3A depicts example layers of an example wireless process controlprotocol that may be utilized by a process control network, shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, to transmit and receive commands for communicating withand controlling luminaires.

FIG. 3B shows an example set of preconfigured protocol parameters thatmay be utilized by disclosed devices to communicate in accordance withan example wireless process control protocol, such as the one discussedwith reference to FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 depicts an example protocol stack including a Hart-IP protocol ata layer that may be utilized to encapsulate, within messages conformingto standard communication protocols selected from the Internet protocolsuite, process control messages conforming to process control standardsor protocols.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the luminaire networkshown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which a process control network includesmultiple sets of luminaires.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Traditionally, lighting systems for process control environments (whichoften operate 24 hours per day) have had fairly basic functionality. Forexample, many plants have lighting systems that have been factoryconfigured to operate continuously at a single, particular lightintensity.

Here, a connected controls lighting system (“CCLS”) or intelligentluminaire network includes a number of features, including intelligentlighting control and mobile user interfaces for accessing andcontrolling the CCLS. Compared to traditional lighting systems forindustrial environments, the CCLS improves energy efficiency, reduceslight pollution, improves the robustness of luminaire control, andreduces maintenance time and costs by implementing intelligent andselective lighting control utilizing a hybrid distributed controlscheme. Further, the CCLS may implement a three-layer security schemeincluding: (i) implementing a firewall between a wireless processcontrol network for luminaires (e.g., implemented utilizing a processcontrol protocol such as wirelessHART) and the plant network (e.g., at agateway between the two networks; (ii) encrypting traffic forwarded fromthe wireless process control network to the plant network or vice versa;and (iii) implementing a firewall between the plant network and one ormore networks “upstream from the plant network (e.g., an enterprisenetwork, the “cloud” or Internet, etc.). Further, the CCLS may include aserver or other computing device configured to generate reports ormetrics regarding the performance of luminaires, groups of luminaires,an entire network of luminaires, or any combination thereof. The metricsmay indicate how the energy consumption of the luminaire(s) compares totypical, always-on industrial lights (e.g., thus enabling users tomonitor the energy and money saved when comparing the CCLS to a typicalindustrial lighting solution).

An Example Process Control Environment

FIG. 1 shows an example process plant, process control system, orprocess control environment 5 including a CCLS or luminaire network 101configured to implement a hybrid control scheme in which luminaires arecontrolled according to both local luminaire controllers and a remotesupervisory controller capable of controlling multiple luminaires.Advantageously, the network 101 offers benefits of disturbed controlschemes (due to luminaires having their own local controllers that donot necessarily rely on a centralized control scheme) as well as thebenefits of centralized control schemes (due to a supervisory controllerthat may monitor and adjust or override the local controllers). Asalready noted, compared to typical lighting solutions for industrialenvironments, the network 101 improves energy efficiency, reduces lightpollution, improves the robustness of luminaire control, and reducesmaintenance time and costs by implementing intelligent and selectivelighting control. For example, the luminaire network 101 mayautomatically control dimming, light activation, light deactivation,static or dynamic luminaire grouping, and luminaire group control byimplementing a hybrid control scheme that accounts for (i) local orglobal fixed schedules (e.g., based on time of day, worker schedules,etc.), (ii) detected daylight, (iii) detected motion of workers, and(iv) feedback from luminaires in the network 101. Further, one or moreelectronic devices (e.g., mobile devices) may couple to the luminairenetwork 101 and may facilitate easy monitoring, configuration, andmanual control of luminaires in the network 101, even when remotelyconnected to the network 101 (e.g., via the cloud).

In any event, the luminaire network 101 may be implemented in theprocess plant 5, which may include hazardous areas. Accordingly, one ormore luminaires or other nodes in the luminaire network 101 may complywith IS standards. The process plant 5 controls a process that may besaid to have one or more “process outputs” characterizing the state ofthe process (e.g., tank levels, flow rates, material temperatures, etc.)and one or more “process inputs” (e.g., the state of variousenvironmental conditions and actuators, the manipulation of which maycause process outputs to change). The process plant or control system 5of FIG. 1 includes a field environment 122 (e.g., “the process plantfloor 122”) and a back-end environment 125, each of which iscommunicatively connected by a process control backbone or data highway10. The backbone 10 (sometimes referred to as the “link 10,” the“network 10,” or the “data highway 10”) may include one or more wired orwireless communication links, and may be implemented using any desiredor suitable communication protocol, such as an Ethernet protocol.

At a high level (and as shown in FIG. 1), the field environment 122includes physical components (e.g., process control devices, networks,network elements, etc.) that are disposed, installed, and interconnectedto operate to control the process during run-time. For example, thefield environment 122 includes an I/O network 6 and a wireless I/Onetwork 70. By and large, the components of the I/O network 6 arelocated, disposed, or otherwise included in the field environment 122 ofthe process plant 5. Generally speaking, in the field environment 122 ofthe process plant 5, raw materials are received and processed using thephysical components disposed therein to generate one or more products.

By contrast, the back-end environment 125 of the process plant 5includes various components such as computing devices, operatorworkstations, databases or databanks, etc. that are shielded orprotected from the harsh conditions and materials of the fieldenvironment 122. In some configurations, various computing devices,databases, and other components and equipment included in the back-endenvironment 125 of the process plant 5 may be physically located atdifferent physical locations, some of which may be local to the processplant 5, and some of which may be remote.

The Field Environment 122 of the Plant 5

As noted, the field environment 122 includes one or more I/O networkssuch as the I/O network 6, each of which includes: (i) one or morecontrollers, (ii) one or more field devices communicatively connected tothe one or more controllers, and (iii) one or more intermediary nodes(e.g., I/O cards or modules) facilitating communication between thecontrollers and the field devices. For example, the I/O network 6includes a controller 11, a set of field devices 15-22, and a pair ofI/O cards 26 and 28 facilitating communication between the controller 11and the set of field devices 15-22.

In a typical plant environment, at least one field device performs aphysical function (e.g., opening or closing a valve, increasing ordecreasing a temperature, taking a measurement, sensing a condition,etc.) to control the operation of a process implemented in the processplant 5. The field devices may be thought of as a means to manipulate aprocess input (e.g., a valve position or pump status) or to measure aprocess output (e.g., a tank level, a flow speed, a pressure, atemperature, a temperature, etc.). Some types of field devicescommunicate with controllers via I/O cards.

Typically, an I/O card functions as an intermediary node between aprocess controller (e.g., the controller 11) and one or more fielddevices (e.g., field devices 15-22) configured for the samecommunication protocol or protocols as those utilized by the I/O card.Generally speaking, the protocols utilized to facilitate communicationbetween I/O cards or controllers and field devices are process controlprotocols designed specifically for field devices and process controlenvironments (e.g., the 4-20 mA standard, HART®, WirelessHART®, orFOUNDATION® Fieldbus).

Moreover, field device inputs and outputs are typically configured foreither analog or discrete communications. In order to communicate with afield device, a controller generally needs an I/O card configured forthe same type of input or output utilized by the field device. That is,for a field device configured to receive analog control output signals(e.g., a 4-20 mA signal), the controller needs an analog output (AO) I/Ocard to transmit the appropriate analog control output signal; and for afield device configured to transmit measurements or other informationvia an analog signal, the controller typically needs an analog input(AI) card to receive the transmitted information. Similarly, for a fielddevice configured to receive discrete control output signals, thecontroller needs a discrete output (DO) I/O card to transmit theappropriate discrete control output signal; and for a field deviceconfigured to transmit information via a discrete control input signal,the controller needs a discrete input (DI) I/O card. Further, some I/Ocards are configured for resistance temperature detectors (RTD) (whichvary the resistance of the a wire with temperature) or thermocouples(TC) (which generate a voltage proportional to a temperature).Generally, each I/O card can connect to multiple field device inputs oroutputs, wherein each communication link to a particular input or outputis referred to as an “I/O channel” (or, more generically, “channel”).For example, a 120 channel DO I/O card may be communicatively connectedto 120 distinct discrete field device inputs via 120 distinct DO I/Ochannels, enabling the controller to transmit (via the DO I/O card)discrete control output signals to the 120 distinct discrete fielddevice inputs.

In any event, process controllers, field devices, and I/O cards may beconfigured for wired or wireless communication. Any number andcombination of wired and wireless process controllers, field devices,and I/O devices may be included in the process plant environment orsystem 5.

For example, the field environment 122 includes the I/O network 6, whichincludes the process controller 11 communicatively connected, via theI/O card 26 and the I/O card 28, to the set of wired field devices15-22. The field environment 122 also includes a wireless network 70including a set of wireless field devices 40-46 coupled to thecontroller 11 (e.g., via a wireless gateway 35 and the network 10). Thewireless network 70 may be a part of the I/O network 6. For example, thenetwork 70 may be a wirelessHART network functioning as a subnetwork tothe I/O network 6, which may additionally include a wired HART network.If desired, the network 70 or may be an I/O network or a portion of anI/O network not shown in FIG. 1 (and may include controllers or I/Ocards not shown in FIG. 1).

In some configurations, the controller 11 may be communicativelyconnected to the wireless gateway 35 using one or more communicationsnetworks other than the backbone 10, such as by using any number ofother wired or wireless communication links that support one or morecommunication protocols (such as the Internet suite protocols, Wi-Fi orother IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless local area network protocol(s),mobile communication protocols (e.g., WiMAX, LTE, or other ITU-Rcompatible protocol), Bluetooth®, HART®, WirelessHART®, Profibus,HART-IP, FOUNDATION® Fieldbus, etc.)

The Process Controller 11

The controller 11, which may be the DeltaV™ controller sold by EmersonProcess Management, may operate to implement a batch process or acontinuous process using at least some of the field devices 15-22 and40-46. In addition to being communicatively connected to the processcontrol data highway 10, the controller 11 is also communicativelyconnected to at least some of the field devices 15-22 and 40-46 usingany desired hardware and software associated with, for example, standard4-20 mA devices, I/O cards 26, 28, or any smart communication protocolsuch as the FOUNDATION® Fieldbus protocol, the HART® protocol, theWirelessHART® protocol, etc. In FIG. 1, the controller 11, the fielddevices 15-22 and the I/O cards 26, 28 are wired devices, and the fielddevices 40-46 are wireless field devices. Of course, the wired fielddevices 15-22 and wireless field devices 40-46 could conform to anyother desired standard(s) or protocols, such as any wired or wirelessprotocols, including any standards or protocols developed in the future.

The process controller 11 includes a processor 30 that implements oroversees one or more process control routines 38 (e.g., that are storedin a memory 32). A “control routine” (sometimes referred to as a“control module”) is a set of instructions, executable by a processor(e.g., of the controller 11), for performing one or more operations toprovide or perform on-line control of at least part of a process.Generally speaking, a control routine may be understood as softwareconfigured to implement a particular control strategy. Control routinesmay be saved to memory, e.g., as one or more routines, applications,software modules, or programs. Control routines may reference equipmentobjects to communicate with field devices corresponding to the equipmentobjects. A control routine may be made up of function blocks, whereineach function block is a part or a subroutine of an overall controlroutine. Each control routine may operate in conjunction with othercontrol routines and function blocks to implement control routines orprocess control loops within the process plant. While the Fieldbusprotocol and the DeltaV system protocol use control routines andfunction blocks designed and implemented in an object orientedprogramming protocol, control modules could be designed using anydesired control programming scheme including, for example, sequentialfunction block, ladder logic, etc., and are not limited to beingdesigned and implemented using the function block or any otherparticular programming technique (unless otherwise stated).

Returning to the controller 11, the processor 30 is configured tocommunicate with the field devices 15-22 and 40-46 and with other nodescommunicatively connected to the controller 11. Note, any controlroutines or modules described herein may have parts thereof implementedor executed by different controllers or other devices if so desired.Likewise, the control routines or modules 38 described herein which areto be implemented within the process control system 5 may take any form,including software, firmware, hardware, etc. Control routines may beimplemented in any desired software format, such as usingobject-oriented programming, ladder logic, sequential function charts,function block diagrams, or using any other software programminglanguage or design paradigm. The control routines 38 may be stored inany desired type of memory 32, such as random-access memory (RAM), orread only memory (ROM). Likewise, the control routines 38 may behard-coded into, for example, one or more EPROMs, EEPROMs, applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other hardware or firmwareelements. Put simply, the controller 11 may be configured to implement acontrol strategy or control routine in any desired manner.

Note, the process controlled by the controller 11 (and any othercontrollers) may be characterized by “process variables.” Processinputs, process outputs, controlled variables, manipulated variables,disturbance variables, and setpoints are all example process variables.The “process outputs” may be thought of as process variablesrepresenting the existing state of the process, and the “process inputs”may be thought of as process variables representing various conditions,settings, equipment, signals, and other information that may impactexecution of the process. The controller 11 may receive as “controlinputs” measurements of one or more of the process outputs and maytransmit one or more “control outputs” as control signals (which may bethought of as process inputs) configured to manipulate the state of adevice to drive a process output to a desired state.

Example “process outputs” might include tank levels, flow rates,material temperatures, piping and tank pressures, the current states ofvarious valves, pumps, and other equipment, etc. Process outputs areoften measured and monitored to evaluate performance of the process andto inform how process inputs should be manipulated to manipulate theprocess outputs to desirable states.

Example “process inputs” might include the state of raw material beingprocessed, environmental conditions, the state of equipment in the plantsuch as actuators (the manipulation of which may cause process outputsto change), the settings for the equipment (such as the operationalsettings of valves), etc. The state of any one or more of the processinputs might affect how the process executes. Note, process outputs andprocess inputs are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, avalve CV001 may have a position of 50% open, which may be understood asa current condition of the process and thus a process output. However,the valve position may affect other process outputs (such as flow rate)and may be measured (e.g., to verify that it reaches a desired positionafter having been commanded to move to the desired position). Thus, thevalve position also may be understood as a process input.

As noted, example process variables include controlled variables,manipulated variables, disturbance variables, and setpoints. A“controlled variable” is a process variable (e.g., a tank level) that acontroller or control routine is attempting to indirectly control byadjusting a “manipulated variable” (e.g., a water inlet valve for thetank). A control routine may adjust the manipulated variable to drivethe controlled variable to a desired setpoint. A “setpoint” represents adesired value for a controlled variable. The setpoint may beautomatically set by a controller based on a control routine, or may bemanually set by an operator.

Returning to the controller 11, when the processor 30 of the controllerexecutes one or more of the control routines, the controller transmitsto a field device a control signal (i.e., a control output) carrying acommand or value generated based on: (i) one or more received controlinputs (e.g., one or more received signals representing measurements ofprocess outputs obtained by field devices), and (ii) the logic of theone or more control routines being implemented using values of thecontrol inputs as inputs. The control routines may be defined by one ormore software elements (e.g., function blocks). Specifically, thecontroller 11 may implement a control strategy using function blocks,where each function block is an object or other part (e.g., asubroutine) of an overall control routine. The controller 11 may operatein conjunction with function blocks implemented by other devices (e.g.,other controllers or field devices) to implement process control loopswithin the process control system 5.

Note, the term “control loop” generally refers to a subsystem of theprocess control system utilized to implement control of a particularaspect of the process. A control loop includes the physical componentsand logical components needed to control a controlled variable (oftensimply referred to as a process variable or PV). For example, thephysical components may include (i) a sensor for measuring the PV (e.g.,included in a first field device that measures a tank level), (ii) afinal control element (or FCE) that can be adjusted to manipulate theprocess variable (e.g., a second field device that is a valve), and(iii) a controller configured to adjust the FCE (e.g., the controller11). The logical components may include the control routine(s) at thecontroller that drive a control signal to cause an actuator (e.g., avalve actuator) to adjust the FCE (e.g., a valve) based on measurementsreceived at the controller. In the given example, the valve position maybe considered the manipulated variable (MV), which may be adjusted todrive the PV to a setpoint. Control loops may be utilized in a varietyof scenarios. As one example, a process control system may include acontrol loop for controlling a water level in a tank. A process controlsystem may include hundreds or thousands of control loops forcontrolling a plethora of process variables.

Returning to the function blocks that may be implemented at thecontroller 11, control based function blocks typically perform one of:(i) an input function, such as that associated with a transmitter, asensor or other process parameter measurement device (sometimes referredto as “input blocks”); (ii) a control function, such as that associatedwith a control routine that performs PID, fuzzy logic, etc. (sometimesreferred to as “control blocks”); or (iii) an output function whichcontrols the operation of some device, such as a valve, to perform somephysical function within the process control system 5 (sometimesreferred to as “output blocks”). Of course, hybrid and other types offunction blocks exist.

Function blocks may be stored in and executed by the controller 11,which is typically the case when these function blocks are used for, orare associated with standard 4-20 mA devices and some types of smartfield devices such as HART® devices, or may be stored in and implementedby the field devices themselves, which can be the case with FOUNDATION®Fieldbus devices. One or more of the control routines 38 may implementone or more control loops which are performed by executing one or moreof the function blocks.

The Wired Field Device 15-22 and I/O cards 26 and 28

The wired field devices 15-22 may be any types of devices, such assensors, valves, transmitters, positioners, etc., while the I/O cards 26and 28 may be any types of process control I/O devices conforming to anydesired communication or controller protocol. In FIG. 1, the fielddevices 15-18 are standard 4-20 mA devices or HART® devices thatcommunicate over analog lines or combined analog and digital lines tothe I/O card 26, while the field devices 19-22 are smart devices, suchas FOUNDATION® Fieldbus field devices, that communicate over a digitalbus to the I/O card 28 using a FOUNDATION® Fieldbus communicationsprotocol. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments at leastsome of the wired field devices 15-22 or at least some of the I/O cards26, 28 communicate with the controller 11 using the process control datahighway 10 or by using other suitable control system protocols (e.g.,Profibus, DeviceNet, Foundation Fieldbus, ControlNet, Modbus, HART,etc.).

The Wireless Field Devices 40-46

In FIG. 1, the wireless field devices 40-46 communicate via a wirelessprocess control communication network 70 using a wireless protocol, suchas the WirelessHART® protocol. Such wireless field devices 40-46 maydirectly communicate with one or more other devices or nodes of thewireless network 70 that are also configured to communicate wirelessly(using the wireless protocol or another wireless protocol, for example).To communicate with one or more other nodes that are not configured tocommunicate wirelessly, the wireless field devices 40-46 may utilize awireless gateway 35 connected to the process control data highway 10 orto another process control communications network. The wireless gateway35 provides access to various wireless devices 40-58 of the wirelesscommunications network 70. In particular, the wireless gateway 35provides communicative coupling between the wireless devices 40-58, thewired devices 11-28, or other nodes or devices of the process controlplant 5. For example, the wireless gateway 35 may provide communicativecoupling by using the process control data highway 10 or by using one ormore other communications networks of the process plant 5.

Similar to the wired field devices 15-22, the wireless field devices40-46 of the wireless network 70 perform physical control functionswithin the process plant 5, e.g., opening or closing valves, or takingmeasurements of process parameters. The wireless field devices 40-46,however, are configured to communicate using the wireless protocol ofthe network 70. As such, the wireless field devices 40-46, the wirelessgateway 35, and other wireless nodes 52-58 of the wireless network 70are producers and consumers of wireless communication packets.

In some configurations of the process plant 5, the wireless network 70includes non-wireless devices. For example, in FIG. 1, a field device 48of FIG. 1 is a legacy 4-20 mA device and a field device 50 is a wiredHART® device. To communicate within the network 70, the field devices 48and 50 are connected to the wireless communications network 70 via awireless adaptor 52 a, 52 b. The wireless adaptors 52 a, 52 b support awireless protocol, such as WirelessHART, and may also support one ormore other communication protocols such as Foundation® Fieldbus,PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, etc. Additionally, in some configurations, thewireless network 70 includes one or more network access points 55 a, 55b, which may be separate physical devices in wired communication withthe wireless gateway 35 or may be provided with the wireless gateway 35as an integral device. The wireless network 70 may also include one ormore routers 58 to forward packets from one wireless device to anotherwireless device within the wireless communications network 70. In FIG.1, the wireless devices 40-46 and 52-58 communicate with each other andwith the wireless gateway 35 over wireless links 60 of the wirelesscommunications network 70, or via the process control data highway 10.

Relationship Between the Front-End 122 and the Luminaire Network 101.

If desired, the controller 11 may be communicatively coupled to one ormore of the wireless field devices 40-46 via the luminaire network 101(e.g., via a luminaire in the network 101). For example, the network 101and the network 70 may be overlapping or otherwise connected networkssuch that messages (e.g., commands or measured variables) between thecontroller 11 and the field device 40 travel via a luminaire in thenetwork 101. In such an example, the controller 11 may transmit amessage via a wired link to the network 10 according to a first processcontrol protocol (e.g., 4-20 mA or HART). The message may be routed to agateway (not shown) connecting the network 101 to the network 10, andthe gateway may encode the message in a second message conforming to awireless process control protocol (e.g., wirelessHART). One or moreluminaires in the network 101 may pass the second message to the network70 (which may conform to the same wireless process control protocolutilized by the network 101, thereby facilitating seamless communicationbetween the networks 70 and 101), where the second message reaches thefield device 40, causing the field device 40 to operate accordingly(e.g., actuating a valve). Similar messaging may occur in the oppositedirection to facilitate the field device 40 transmitting a measuredvariable (e.g., pressure, flow rate, tank level, etc.) to the controller11 via the network 101.

Further, if desired, the controller 11 may be communicatively coupled tothe wired field device 48 via the luminaire network 101. Messaging mayoccur in a manner similar to that previously described. However, whenthe second message reaches the network 70, it may be routed to thewireless adapter 52 a, which may decode the second message to identifythe original message conforming to the first process control protocoland to transmit the original message to the field device 48 via a wiredlink (e.g., utilizing a standard 4-20 mA or a HART 4-20 mA signal).

The Back-End Environment 125 of the Plant 5

As noted, the back-end environment 125 includes various components suchas computing devices, operator workstations, databases or databanks,etc. that are typically shielded or protected from the harsh conditionsand materials of the field environment 122. The back-end environment 125may include any one or more of the following, each of which may becommunicatively connected to the data highway 10: (i) one or moreoperator workstation(s) 71; (ii) a configuration application 72 a and aconfiguration database 72 b; (iii) a data historian application 73 a anda data historian database 73 b; (iv) one or more other wireless accesspoints 74 that communicate with other devices using other wirelessprotocols; and (v) one or more gateways 76, 78 to systems external tothe immediate process control system 5.

Each instance of the back-end components 71, 72 a, 72 b, 73 a, and 73 bmay be implemented on any suitable computing device or set of computingdevices (e.g., a desktop computer or workstation, a laptop, a mobiledevice such as a phone or tablet, a client/server(s) system, etc.),which may include a user interface with input components (e.g., a mouse,keyboard, touch sensors, hardware buttons, audio sensors for voiceinput, cameras or motion sensors for gesture input, etc.) and outputcomponents (e.g., a display, speakers, etc.).

The workstation 71 enables users (e.g., operators) to view and monitor,via GUIs, run-time operations of the process plant 5, as well as takeany diagnostic, corrective, maintenance, or other actions that may berequired. At least some of the operator workstations 71 may be locatedat various, protected areas in or near the plant 5, and in somesituations, at least some of the operator workstations 71 may beremotely located, but nonetheless in communicative connection with theplant 5.

The configuration application 72 a and the configuration database 72 b(collectively the “configuration system 72”) may be utilized toconfigure certain aspects of the plant 5 (e.g., operator interfaces,control routines, etc.). Typically, but not necessarily, the userinterfaces for the configuration system 72 are different than theoperator workstations 71, as the user interfaces for the configurationsystem 72 are utilized by configuration and development engineersirrespective of whether or not the plant 5 is operating in real-time,whereas the operator workstations 71 are utilized by operators duringreal-time operations of the process plant 5 (also referred tointerchangeably here as “run-time” operations of the process plant 5).

The data historian application 73 a collects some or all of the dataprovided across the data highway 10, and historizes or stores thecollected data in the historian database 73 b for long term storage.

The one or more other wireless access points 74 enable devices in theback-end environment 125 (and sometimes in the field environment 122) tocommunicate with other devices using wireless protocols, such as Wi-Fior other IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless local area network protocols.

Typically, such wireless access points 74 allow handheld or otherportable computing devices (e.g., user interface devices 75) tocommunicate over a respective wireless process control communicationnetwork that is different from the wireless network 70 and that supportsa different wireless protocol than the wireless network 70. For example,a wireless or portable user interface device 75 may be a mobileworkstation or diagnostic test equipment that is utilized by an operatorwithin the process plant 5 (e.g., an instance of one of the operatorworkstations 71). In some scenarios, in addition to portable computingdevices, one or more process control devices (e.g., controller 11, fielddevices 15-22, or wireless devices 35, 40-58, nodes of the network 101)also communicate using the wireless protocol supported by the accesspoints 74. As another example, FIG. 2 shows a connected controlsconfigurator that may connected to the network 10 via the access points74.

If desired, any component of the back-end 125 may be communicativelycoupled to any node of the network 101. For example, a user may utilizethe workstation 71 to view and monitor, via GUIs, run-time operations ofluminaires and other nodes in the network 101 (e.g., to view lightstatus, luminaire health, luminaire configuration, network health,etc.), as well as take any diagnostic, corrective, maintenance, or otheractions that may be required. In some embodiments, the workstation 71and a configurator 230 (shown in FIG. 2) may offer the same or similarfunctionality regarding the network 101, and may be part of the sameapplication, application suite, or host device. In some embodiments, theworkstation 71 is distinct from the configurator 230, and, if desired,the workstation 71 may be configured so that it has little or nointeraction with the network 101.

Further, if desired, the data historian 73 may collect some or all ofthe data reported by any one or more of the luminaires in the network101, and may historize or store the collected data in the historiandatabase 73 b for long term storage (e.g., with contextual informationsuch as a timestamp, an ID of the appropriate luminaire, etc.). Ifdesired, the data historian 72 may be configured so that it has littleor no interaction with the network 101.

Moreover, if desired, the configuration system 72 may be utilized toconfigure aspects of the network 101. For example, a user may utilizethe configuration system 72 to modify configurations or control schemesimplemented by luminaires or controllers in the network 101. In someembodiments, the configuration system 72 and the configurator 230 mayoffer the same or similar functionality regarding the network 101, andmay be part of the same application, application suite, or host device.In some embodiments, the configuration system 72 is distinct from theconfigurator 230, and, if desired, the configuration system 72 may beconfigured so that it has little or no interaction with the network 101.

Additional Examples of the Plant 5

Although FIG. 1 only illustrates a single controller 11 with a finitenumber of (i) field devices 15-22 and 40-46, (ii) wireless gateways 35,(iii) wireless adaptors 52, (iv) access points 55, (v) routers 58, and(vi) wireless process control communications networks 70, FIG. 1 is onlyan illustrative and non-limiting embodiment. Any number of controllers11 may be included in the process control plant or system 5, and any ofthe controllers 11 may communicate with any number of wired or wirelessdevices and networks 15-22, 40-46, 35, 52, 55, 58 and 70 to control aprocess in the plant 5.

The Luminaire Network 101

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the luminaire network101 (also shown in FIG. 1) that facilitates hybrid control of luminairesaccording to control schemes locally implemented by the luminaires andcontrol scheme(s) implemented by supervisory light controller(s).Compared to traditional lighting systems for industrial environments,the luminaire network 101 improves energy efficiency, reduces lightpollution, and reduces maintenance time and costs by implementingintelligent and selective lighting control utilizing a hybrid controlscheme. For example, the luminaire network 101 may control dimming,light activation, light deactivation, and dynamic luminaire grouping byimplementing a hybrid control scheme that accounts for (i) local orglobal fixed schedules (e.g., based on time of day, worker schedules,etc.), (ii) detected light, (iii) detected motion of workers; and (iv)feedback from luminaires in the network 101. The description belowidentifies the components of the network 101 elaborating on thefunctionality of the network 101 and its components.

The network 101 includes a subnetwork 201 (or “network 201”) and asubnetwork 203 (or “network 203”) coupled to each other via a protocolconverter gateway 210. The network 201 includes one or more nodescommunicating according to a process control protocol and the network203 includes one or more nodes communicating according to the Internetprotocol suite (sometimes referred to as the “TCP/IP protocol”). Thedescription below references FIGS. 3A and 3 B to address exampleprotocols for the networks 201 and 203 before returning to FIG. 2 toelaborate on the components of the networks 201 and 203.

An Example Process Control Protocol 300 for the Network 200

FIGS. 3A and 3B depict example layers of an example wireless processcontrol protocol 300 that may be utilized by the network 201 (shown inFIGS. 1 and 2) to transmit and receive commands for communicating withand controlling luminaires, as well as an example set of preconfiguredprotocol parameters 399 that may be utilized by disclosed devices tocommunicate in accordance with an example wireless process controlprotocol, such as the protocol 300.

The process control protocol 300 includes five layers: a physical layer303; a data-link layer 305; a network layer 307; a transport layer 309;and an application layer 311. Each layer 303-311 of the protocol 300 mayhave a set of rules to which messages or PDUs must conform in order fornodes on the network to properly understand the contents of themessages. PDUs at each layer may have a payload as well as metadata(e.g., contained in headers, footers, preambles, etc.). Generallyspeaking, the payload is the content or data of a PDU and the metadatais the “data about the data” (e.g., regarding formatting, sequencing,timing, destination and source addresses, communication handshakes,etc.).

In an embodiment, the process control protocol 300 may be thewirelessHART protocol. Consistent with current wirelessHARTspecifications, the protocol 300 may rely on request-response orcommand-response communications in which a master transmits a request orcommand and a slave responds. In the network 201, luminaires may bedesignated as slaves and a protocol converter gateway may be designatedas a master (enabling a supervisory controller not on the network 201 tofunction as a master).

The commands and responses may be handled at the application layer 311.FIG. 3B shows a subset of a preconfigured set of protocol parameters. Toillustrate, a device may transmit to a luminaire command 0, which maycause the luminaire to read its device ID and respond accordingly. Asanother example, a device may transmit to a luminaire command 1, whichmay cause the luminaire to read and respond with its primary variable(e.g., light intensity).

Returning to FIG. 3A, an application layer PDU may include blocks351-357. Each command may have three blocks. For example, the firstcommand in the ALPDU includes the block 351 identifying the commandnumber; the block 353 carrying corresponding data for the command (e.g.,for a write command), and the block 352 identifying the length of theblock 353. Each subsequent command in the ALPDU may have a similar threeblocks.

To transmit the message in a format conforming to the protocol 300, eachlayer adds a header with metadata to create a new PDU until a PLDU iscreated and ready to be transmitted. For example, the transport layer309 takes the ALPDU carrying the commands and adds a transport layerheader (which may include device status or other information) to theALPDU to create the TLPDU; then, the network layer 307 adds a networklayer header (e.g., including routing information, destinationaddresses, source addresses, network IDs, etc.) to the TLPDU to createthe NLPDU; then, the data-link layer 305 adds a data-link layer header(e.g., adding information that may be used for frequency hopping,channel blacklisting, and security measures) to the NLPDU to create theDLPDU; then, the physical layer 303 adds a physical layer header (e.g.,including information to facilitate synchronization and identificationof new frames) to the DLPDU to create the PLPDU. The PLPDU may then betransmitted via a suitable wireless channel.

If desired, the physical layer 303 may have any one or more of thefollowing features/standards: 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz ISM signal band; O-QPSKmodulation (offset quadrature phase-shift keying); 250 kbps data rate;direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) with frequency-hopping between 15channels within that band for security and interference reduction; andTDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) bus arbitration, with10-millisecond timeslots allocated for device transmission.

Returning to the application layer 311, this layer of the protocol 300provides a significant benefit. The application layer 311 may beidentical to an application layer of a second process control protocolfor wired communication such as HART, thereby facilitating seamlessintegration between the network 201 and a network configured accordingto the second process control protocol. In such a scenario, the actualcontent or payload of the messages/commands transmitted via the network201 according to the protocol 300 would not need to be translated orconverted at the application layer. For example, the network 201 may bea wirelessHART network and the second network may be a HART network. Insuch an example, the ALPDU in a message transmitted from either networkcan simply be forwarded to the other network.

Note, in an embodiment, the network 300 may conform to a wirelessprocess control protocol other than HART, and may not be limited to theexact layers and structure shown in FIG. 3A.

An Example Protocol Stack 400 for the Network 203

FIG. 4 depicts an example protocol stack 400 including a Hart-IPprotocol at a layer 609 that may be utilized to encapsulate processcontrol messages, conforming to process control standards or protocols,within messages IP messages conforming to standard protocols 401-407selected from the Internet protocol suite.

The stack 400 includes layers 401-407 conforming to protocols from theInternet protocol suite: the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet protocol for thephysical layer 401, the IEEE 802.2 protocol for the data-link layer 403,the Internet Protocol (IP) for the IP layer 405, and the TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP) for the TCP layer 607.

The stack 400 also includes a protocol 408 (e.g., the HART-IP protocol)for an intermediate layer 409 between the TCP layer 607 and theapplication layer 611. Note, the protocol or standard for the layer 611may be identical to that used for the layer 311 shown in FIG. 3A (e.g.,HART).

The protocol 408 facilitates simple integration between networksconforming to typical process control protocols (e.g., the network 201)and those not conforming to typical process control protocols (e.g., thenetwork 203). As a result, the protocol 408 enables one to more easilyaccess and interact with process control devices on process controlnetworks.

In short, the protocol 408 encapsulates PDUs from the application layer611 and adds metadata to create a PDU within the layer 409 that can thenbe encapsulated and transmitted according to a standard protocol fromthe Internet protocol suite (e.g., TCP, UDP).

The Networks 201 and 203

Returning to FIG. 2, the network 201 (which may conform to the protocol300 shown in FIG. 3A) includes the gateway 210 and a luminaire 205coupled to the gateway 210 via a link or network 297. The luminaire 205may include one or more components 251-258 housed within a housing 250and coupled via one or more buses or links (not shown), including: alocal controller 251; a memory 252 storing a control scheme 206 that maybe implemented by the controller 251 to provide the controller 251 withthe functionality described herein, a communication interface 253; alight source 254; a light sensor 255; a motion sensor 256 configured todetect motion; a power supply 257 configured to receive power from anexternal source and to make the power available to components of theluminaire 250; and a clock 258 that may be utilized to track the currenttime or date. The memory 252 may store: a one or more parameters 207representing a predefined scheduled indicating desired light levels orlight settings based on the time of day, the date, the day of the week,etc.; a one or more parameters 208 representing a level of ambientlight; and a one or more parameters 209 representing detected motion.

If desired, the network 201 may include one or more of: (i) a powersource 270 configured to provide power to the luminaire 205 via anelectrical connection 271; (ii) a light sensor 265 external to theluminaire 205; (iii) a motion sensor 266 external to the luminaire 205;and (iv) a clock 268 external to the luminaire 205. The sensors 265 and266 may be similar to the sensors 255 and 256; and the clock 268 may besimilar to the clock 258.

Regarding the nodes of the network 203 (which may conform to the one ormore protocols from the stack 400 shown in FIG. 4), the network 203includes the gateway 210 coupling the luminaire 205 to the network 10.The network 203 also includes a WAN gateway 215 that is coupled to thenetwork 10. Further, the network 203 includes a supervisory lightcontroller 220, coupled to the WAN gateway 215 via a link or network 298(e.g., an enterprise network) and to an external network 290 (e.g., inthe “cloud”) via a link or network 299, configured to provide a degreeof centralized control of the luminaires in the network 201.Additionally, the network 203 includes a connected controls configurator230, coupled to the network 10, configured to enable a user to remotelymonitor, configure, and control the luminaires and control schemes inthe network 201.

The Supervisory Light Controller 220

The supervisory light controller 220 may be any suitable stationary ormobile computing device. If desired, the controller 220 may be embodied,in whole or in part, in one or more servers (e.g., servers in thenetwork 10 or the network 298). The controller 220 may communicate“downstream” (e.g., to communicate with any luminaires or other nodes ofthe network 201 or the network 10). Similarly, the configuratorcontroller 220 may communicate “upstream” with any suitable device, sucha device in the network 290 (e.g., to facilitate analyzing performanceof nodes in the network 201 and to report various metrics upstream). Thecontroller 220 may include a memory 221 storing a control scheme 222 forcontrolling luminaires, a processor 223 configured to executed thecontrol scheme 222, and a communication interface 225 capable oftransmitting or receiving information via wired or wireless links.

In example operation, the controller 220 functions as a “high level”controller for the luminaires in the network 201 (e.g., the controller220 may implement group control of the luminaires). As another example,the controller 220 may function as a server that “pushes” data to thecloud 290. The “pushed” data may include alerts originating from thenetwork 201 (e.g., regarding the status of a luminaire), as well asreports related to overall energy efficiency of a particular light,particular group of lights, the network 201 as a whole, or anycombination thereof. For example, the controller 220 may analyze energyconsumption for a particular luminaire over a period of time (e.g., anhour, a day, a week, a month, a year, etc.) and may generate a metricindicating energy savings relative to a typical continuous-operationluminaire. The same analysis may be performed regarding groups ofluminaires or the network 201 as a whole. The controller 220 maytransmit the generated metric to one or more devices coupled to thenetwork 290 (e.g., personal or mobile computing devices) or to theconfigurator 230 so that the receiving device can store or display themetric to a user.

The Configurator 230

The configurator 230 may be any suitable mobile computing device (thoughit may be stationary in some embodiments). While the configurator 230 isshown being coupled to the network 10 in a layer between the gateway 215and the gateway 210, if desired, the configurator 230 may be coupled tothe network 298 “upstream” from the gateway 215 or may be coupled to thenetwork 209 “upstream” from the controller 220. For example, in anembodiment, the configurator 230 is a mobile device in the cloud 290 andmay receive metrics or reports from the controller 220 via the cloud290. In some embodiments, one or more mobile devices distinct from theconfigurator 230 may receive (via the cloud 290) metrics or reports fromthe controller 220 or the configurator 230.

Regarding communications, the configurator 230 may communicate“downstream” (e.g., to communicate with any luminaires or other nodes ofthe network 201). Similarly, the configurator 230 may communicate“upstream” with any suitable device, such as the controller 220 or adevice in the network 290 (e.g., to facilitate analyzing performance ofnodes in the network 201 and to report various metrics upstream).

The configurator 230 may include any one or more of: a memory 231storing a configurator application 232 providing the functionality ofthe configurator 230, a processor 223 configured to implement theapplication 232, a communication interface 235 capable of transmittingor receiving information via wired or wireless links, a set of userinterface (“UI”) components 237 including an input component 237 a andan output component 237 b. An example output component 237 b is adisplay, which may be any suitable component or device configured todisplay information in pictorial or visual form (e.g., utilizing LED,LCD, or CRT technology), and may include a screen (which may be touchsensitive in some instances), projector, or any other output devicecapable of providing visual output. The input component 237 a may be anysuitable component or sensor that can be actuated or interacted with toprovide input to the device 230, and may include a hardware actuatorthat mechanically actuates to provide input (e.g., a key, a button,etc.) or a sensor that actuates by way of detecting changes in anelectromagnetic field (e.g., a capacitive or a resistive touch sensor,which may be integrated with the display 237 a to form a touchscreen).

In example operation, the connected controls configurator 230 provides auser interface enabling a user to monitor information about theluminaire network 101 (e.g., to view luminaire light source status,luminaire network status, details regarding local control schemes,details regarding the control scheme 222 of the controller 220, lightdetection and motion detection parameters such as the parameters 208 and209, luminaire schedules (e.g., the schedule 207), diagnosticinformation from the luminaires, etc.). If desired, the configurator 230may provide analytics or reports regarding performance of the luminairenetwork 101 (e.g., regarding the overall energy efficiency of thenetwork 101. The configurator 230 may also enable a user to manuallycontrol luminaires in the network 101, change controllerconfigurations/control schemes defining behavior of local controllersfor the luminaires, and change the control scheme 222 of the controller220.

Further, in example operation, the configurator 230 may function as aserver that “pushes” data to the controller 220 or the cloud 290. The“pushed” data may include alerts originating from the network 201, aswell as reports related to overall energy efficiency of the network 201(like the reports discussed regarding the controller 220). Theconfigurator 230 may transmit generated metrics to one or more devicescoupled to the network 290 (e.g., personal or mobile computing devices)or to the controller 220 so that the receiving device can store ordisplay the metric to a user.

The Luminaire 205

Regarding the luminaire 205, the housing 250 may be any suitable housingwith an opening (which may be covered via a lens) to enable the lightsource 254 to project light out of the housing for the purpose ofilluminating an area outside the housing 250 (e.g., a portion of a floorin the plant environment). The housing 250 may be constructed of anysuitable material (e.g., ceramic, rubber, plastic, metal such asaluminum, steel, copper, brass, etc.) and may have any suitable formfactor. For example, the housing 250 may have a surface (e.g., flat),opposite or adjacent to the lens or opening, that is mountable to a wallor ceiling. The housing 250 may be substantially cylindrically shaped,rectangular shaped, disc-shaped, dome-shaped, etc.

The housing 250 may be configured to meet IS standards. For example, thehousing may encompass an inner cavity containing the components 251-258,and may form a seal that is “air-tight” (e.g., preventing gases fromentering or exiting the housing 250) and/or vapor-proof (e.g.,preventing moisture from entering or exiting the housing 250). Thehousing 250 may be temperature resistant to prevent the housing 250 fromheating to unacceptable levels in the event an internal component of theluminaire 205 malfunctions and overheats. Further, the housing 250 maybe impact proof.

The controller 251 of the luminaire 205 is an electronic circuitconfigured to implement a set of instructions (e.g., the control scheme206 stored to the memory 252). The controller 251 includes one or moreprocessors (not shown) that may be temporarily configured (e.g., byinstructions or software such as the routine 206) or permanentlyconfigured to perform the relevant operations or functions (e.g., thefunctions of the routine 206).

The memory 252 is any suitable component including computer-readablemedia, and may include volatile or non-volatile media. As noted, thememory 252 stores a control scheme or routine 206 that may beimplemented by the controller 251. The control scheme 206 may bedownloaded to the luminaire 205 via the communication interface 253 fromthe supervisory light controller 220 or the configurator 230 (e.g.,after a user has generated or modified the control scheme to adjust howthe luminaire operates).

Regarding the functionality of the control scheme 206, when thecontroller 251 implements the control scheme 206, the control scheme 206causes the controller 251 to control the state of the light source 254(e.g., by generating and transmitting commands to the light source 254)based on any one or more of: (i) the one or more parameters 207representing a predefined schedule stipulating times of day to activate,deactivate, or adjust the intensity of projected light; (ii) the one ormore parameters 208 representing a level of ambient light (e.g., anambient level of light in an area in or near an area meant to beilluminated by the light source 254; and (iii) one or more parameters209 representing a level of detected motion (e.g., motion detected in ornear the area meant to be illuminated by the light source 254. Theparameters 208 and 209 may be set by the sensors 254 and 255 internal tothe housing 250 or by the sensors 265-268 external to the housing 250.

Note, the control scheme 206 may be configured ignore or overridecommands it generates based on the parameters 207-209 with commands thathave been generated by the control scheme 222 of the supervisory lightcontroller 220 and transmitted to the luminaire 205.

The communication interface 253 of the luminaire 205 is configured totransmit and receive (e.g., wirelessly) information via a wireless link297 conforming to the process control protocol utilized by the network201.

The light source 254 of the luminaire 205 includes LEDs capable ofprojecting visible light (e.g., white light, colored light, etc.).Depending on the embodiment, the light source 254 may include LED bulbs,halogen bulbs, incandescent bulbs, CFL bulbs, High Intensity Discharge(HID) bulbs, or any combination thereof.

The Protocol Converter Gateway 210

The gateway 210 is a networking device configured to function as a nodein both the networks 201 and 203 and to operate as a bridge between thenetworks 201 and 203. More specifically, the gateway 210 acts as atranslator between the networks 201 and 203, which conform to differentprotocols. For example, the network 201 may conform to a process controlprotocol configured to enable field devices in a process controlenvironment to wirelessly communicate by way of command-responsecommunications utilizing a preconfigured set of protocol parameters forthe process control protocol (e.g., the wirelessHART protocol). Bycontrast, the network 203 may not conform to the same process controlprotocol, and may instead conform to a different communication protocol(e.g., one or more protocols from the Internet protocol suite). Theprotocols of the networks 201 and 203 and the functionality of thegateway 210 are described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 5and 6.

The gateway 210 may implement a firewall that monitors or controlstraffic between the network 210 and the plant network 10 based onpredetermined security rules. Further, the gateway 210 may encrypttraffic, utilizing 128-bit SSL encryption, that is received from thenetwork 210 and forwarded to the network 10. In some embodiments, thegateway 210 may encrypt traffic utilizing 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bitAES or SSL encryption.

The WAN Gateway 215

The WAN gateway 215 is a network device connects the network 10 to thenetwork or link 298 (which may include wired or wireless links) and thesupervisory light controller 220. The gateway 215 may implement afirewall that monitors or controls traffic between the plant network 10and the enterprise network 298 based on predetermined security rules.

Example Operation of the Luminaire Network 101

In example operation, the supervisory light controller 220 acts as acentralized or semi-centralized controller for the luminaires in thenetwork 201. The controller 220 is configured to receive informationtransmitted from the luminaire 205 and other luminaires in the network201 such as diagnostic information, alarms, sensor data (e.g., detectedlight or motion), etc. The controller 220 is also configured to transmitcommands to the luminaire 205 and other luminaires in the network 201based on the logic of the control scheme 222 and potentially based onthe received information from the luminaires.

The control scheme 222 may group luminaires (e.g., based on physicalproximity to one another, based on a division between areas or unit ofthe plant 5 such as by room, etc.). If desired, the controller 220 mayactivate an entire group of luminaires when one luminaire in the groupactivates based on schedule, detected light, or detected motion. Asanother example, when one luminaire in the group is not achieving adesired light intensity, the controller 220 may increase the intensityof other lights in the group to compensate for the failing luminaire. Tothat end, the controller 220 may dynamically create, define, and deletegroups as needed. For example, when a luminaire fails, the controller220 may identify the three nearest luminaires to the failed luminaire(e.g., based on data representing locations of luminaires in the network201, such as GPS coordinates or floor maps) and may create a new groupincluding the three nearest luminaires and the failed luminaires. Thecontroller 220 may then monitor setpoints for the failed luminaire(e.g., desired light intensities as determined by a controller local tothe failed luminaire or as determined by the control scheme 222) and maycontrol the other luminaires in the new group (e.g., by transmittingcommands via the link 298) to compensate for the failed luminaire.

If desired, the controller 220 may transmit configuration information tothe luminaire 205 and any other luminaire in the network 201. Forexample, the controller 220 may adjust the threshold motion or lightthat needs to be detected by the sensors 254 and 255 before a responsiveaction is taken by the local controller 251 (e.g., before the lightsource 254 is activated or before light intensity is increased).Similarly, the controller 220 may transmit a message to the luminaire205 to adjust the schedule 207 that the local controller 251 relies on.Similarly, the controller 220 may transmit a message to the luminaire205 to cause the luminaire to rely on one or more of the sensors 265 and266 (or one or more sensors of other luminaires in the network 201)instead of or in addition to the sensors 255 and 256. Said another way,the controller 220 may reconfigure luminaires in the network 201 toadjust the degree to which multiple luminaires interact with one anotherand rely on one another's sensors, statuses, and schedules whenimplementing their local control schemes. Note, the controller 220 maydefine this interactive behavior without directly controlling eachluminaire. That is, if desired, the controller 220 can definedistributed and interactive control schemes between the luminaireswithout handling all of the control logic and command generation at thecontroller 220 (thereby removing itself as a single point of failure).It is also worth noting that centralized, top-down control may havebenefits in certain circumstances, and the controller 220 can alsoimplement such a centralized scheme if desired. Even in that scenario,however, if the controller 220 somehow loses connection with the network201, the luminaires in the network 201 can maintain at least a baselineof intelligent lighting control via their local control schemes andwhatever configurations were most recently downloaded to their localcontrollers.

The connected controls configurator 230 is an electronic deviceconfigured provide a user interface that enables a user to monitorinformation about the luminaire network 101 (e.g., to view luminairelight source status, luminaire network status, details regarding localcontrol schemes, details regarding the control scheme 222 of thecontroller 220, light detection and motion detection parameters such asthe parameters 208 and 209, luminaire schedules (e.g., the schedule207), diagnostic information from the luminaires, etc.). If desired, theconfigurator 230 may provide analytics or reports regarding performanceof the luminaire network 101 (e.g., regarding the overall energyefficiency of the network 101. The configurator 230 may also enable auser to manually control luminaires in the network 101, changecontroller configurations/control schemes defining behavior of localcontrollers for the luminaires, and change the control scheme 222 of thecontroller 220.

The configurator 230 may include a processor 233, a memory 231, andcommunication interface 235 similar to the components 221, 223, and 225of the controllers 220. Further, the configurator 230 may include userinterface (“UI”) components 237 including an input component 237 a or anoutput component 237 b.

An example output component 237 b is a display, which may be anysuitable component or device configured to display information inpictorial or visual form (e.g., utilizing LED, LCD, or CRT technology),and may include a screen (which may be touch sensitive in someinstances), projector, or any other output device capable of providingvisual output. The input component 237 a may be any suitable componentor sensor that can be actuated or interacted with to provide input tothe device 230, and may include a hardware actuator that mechanicallyactuates to provide input (e.g., a key, a button, etc.) or a sensor thatactuates by way of detecting changes in an electromagnetic field (e.g.,a capacitive or a resistive touch sensor, which may be integrated withthe display 205 f to form a touchscreen).

Note, a number of security features may be provided by the system shownin FIG. 2. For example, a security barrier or layer (e.g., a firewall)may exist between one or more layers of networks or links shown in FIG.2. For example, a first security barrier may exist between the link 297and the network 10 (e.g., provided by the gateway 210 or by anotherdevice); a second security barrier may exist between the network 10 andthe network 298 (e.g., provided by the Gateway 215 or by anotherdevice); and a third security barrier may exist between the supervisorycontroller 220 and a network 290 (e.g., provided by gateway or anotherdevice in within the link or network 299). For example, the gateway 210encrypt traffic forwarded to either the network 10 or the network 297utilizing AES or SSL encryption (e.g., 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bitdepending on the embodiment). The gateway 210 and all other nodes on thenetwork 201 (e.g., the luminaire 205) may utilize any one or more of:unique encryption keys for each message sent; data integrity and deviceauthentication; and rotation of encryptions keys used to join thenetwork 201.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the luminaire network101 in which the network 201 includes multiple sets 520 and 540 ofluminaires. The network 201 may have a mesh topology, a star topology,or a hybrid topology utilizing both mesh and star topologies.

The set of nodes 520 is coupled to the network 10 via the link 297 andthe gateway 210 (both shown in FIG. 2). The set 520 includes theluminaire 205 (also shown in FIG. 2) as well as luminaires 521-524,which are communicatively interconnected via a set of links 535. Note,the links 535 may be similar to the link 297 previously described andmay conform to the same process control protocol.

The set of nodes 540 is coupled to the network 10 via a link 598(similar to the links 535) or a link 297 b (similar to the previouslydescribed link 297) coupled to a protocol converter gateway 355 (similarto the gateway 210). The set 540 includes nodes 541-544, which includesluminaires 541-543 and a field device 544. Advantageously, because thenetwork 201 its constituent nodes and links conform to a process controlprotocol, a field device similarly configured to wireless communicationin accordance with the process control protocol can communicate via theluminaires in the network 201 (e.g., to transmit a message to or receivea message from the controller 11 shown in FIG. 1 via the luminaires inthe network 201). In some embodiments, the network 201 does not includethe field device 544. Further, in some embodiments, the network 201 doesnot include the link 598.

The network 201 may include additional clusters or groups of luminairesor other nodes similar to the sets 520 and 540, any one of which mayestablish connectivity to the network 201 by way of establishing a linkto either of the gateways 210 and 305 or to any of the nodes in the sets520-540.

Additional Considerations

Descriptions of various aspects, apparatuses, systems, components,devices, methods, and techniques for managing discrete process controlelements (e.g., discrete devices, discrete communication channels,discrete signals, etc.) and for smart commissioning discrete elements inthe control system 5 follow.

Additionally, when implemented in software, any of the applications,services, and engines described herein may be stored in any tangible,non-transitory computer readable memory such as on a magnetic disk, alaser disk, solid state memory device, molecular memory storage device,or other storage medium, in a RAM or ROM of a computer or processor,etc. Although the example systems disclosed herein are disclosed asincluding, among other components, software or firmware executed onhardware, it should be noted that such systems are merely illustrativeand should not be considered as limiting. For example, it iscontemplated that any or all of these hardware, software, and firmwarecomponents could be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively insoftware, or in any combination of hardware and software. Accordingly,while the example systems described herein are described as beingimplemented in software executed on a processor of one or more computerdevices, persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciatethat the examples provided are not the only way to implement suchsystems.

Each of the described techniques may be embodied by a set of circuitsthat are permanently or semi-permanently configured (e.g., an ASIC orFPGA) to perform logical functions of the respective method or that areat least temporarily configured (e.g., one or more processors and a setinstructions or routines, representing the logical functions, saved to amemory) to perform the logical functions of the respective method.

While the present invention has been described with reference tospecific examples, which are intended to be illustrative only and not tobe limiting of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art that changes, certain additions or deletions may bemade to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. Further, although the forgoing text sets forth adetailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should beunderstood that the scope of the patent is defined by the words of theclaims set forth at the end of this patent and their equivalents. Thedetailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does notdescribe every possible embodiment because describing every possibleembodiment would be impractical, if not impossible.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently in certain embodiments.

As used herein, any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This description, and theclaims that follow, should be read to include one or at least one. Thesingular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meantotherwise.

In various embodiments, hardware systems described herein may beimplemented mechanically or electronically. For example, a hardwaresystem may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanentlyconfigured (e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC) to perform certain operations). A hardware system mayalso comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassedwithin a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) thatis temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware systemmechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Further, the patent claims at the end of this document are not intendedto be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditionalmeans-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for”or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s). Atleast some aspects of the systems and methods described herein aredirected to an improvement to computer functionality, and improve thefunctioning of conventional computers.

General Terms and Phrases

Throughout this specification, some of the following terms and phrasesare used.

Access Point. Generally speaking, an “access point” is a device thatconverts wired traffic (e.g., packets) to wireless traffic and viceversa. It may be thought of as a gateway between a wired network orsub-network and wireless network or sub-network.

Application. See “Routine.”

Bus. Generally speaking, a bus is a communication system that transfersinformation between components insider a computer system, or betweencomputer systems. a processor or a particular system or subsystem maycommunicate with other components of the system or subsystem via one ormore communication links. When communicating with components in a sharedhousing, for example, the processor may be communicatively connected tocomponents by a system bus. Unless stated otherwise, as used herein thephrase “system bus” and the term “bus” refer to: a data bus (forcarrying data), an address bus (for determining where the data should besent), a control bus (for determining the operation to execute), or somecombination thereof. Depending on the context, “system bus” or “bus” mayrefer to any of several types of bus structures including a memory busor memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.

Communication Interface. Some of the described devices or systemsinclude a “communication interface” (sometimes referred to as a “networkinterface”). Each of the described communication interfaces (e.g., 225,253, 235) may enable the system of which it is a party to (i) sendinformation or data to other systems or components or (ii) receiveinformation or data from other systems or components. A communicationinterface configured to enable a system to couple to a peripheral device(e.g., a keyboard, a monitor, an external hard drive, etc.) may bereferred to as a “peripheral interface” or “I/O interface” (see “I/Ointerface”). In some instances, one or more of the describescommunication interfaces may be utilized to establish a directconnection to another system. In some instances, one or more of thedescribed communication interfaces enable the system(s) of which theyare a part to connect via a link to a network (e.g., a personal areanetwork (PAN), a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network(WAN)).

If desired, the described communication interfaces may include (i)circuitry that enables connection to a wired link that carrieselectrical or optical signals to another device (e.g., via a coax cableor fiber optic cable) and to communicate with that other device, or (ii)circuitry that enables wireless communication (e.g., short-range orlong-range communication) via electromagnetic signals, such as radiofrequency (RF) signals. Further, in some instances a describedcommunication interface may refer to multiple interfaces forcommunicating with components or systems external to a system. Forexample, in some instances, a described communication interface mayrefer to a set of communication interfaces including: one or more wiredcommunication interfaces, one or more wireless communication interfaces,and one or more I/O or peripheral interfaces. The describedcommunication interfaces and systems may conform to any one or moresuitable communications protocols, standards, or technologies, such asthose described herein

Communication Protocols. In this description, communication protocols,standards, and technologies may be referred to generically as“communication protocols.” Example communication protocols, standards,or technologies that may be utilized by the described systems includethose that facilitate communication via nanoscale networks, near-fieldnetworks, personal area networks (“PANs”), local area networks (“LANs”),backbone networks, metropolitan area networks (“MANs”), wide areanetworks (“WANs”), Internet area networks (“IANs”), or the Internet.

Example near-field network protocols and standards include typicalradio-frequency identification (“RFID”) standards or protocols andnear-field communication (“NFC”) protocols or standards. Example PANprotocols and standards include 6LoWPAN, Bluetooth (i.e., a wirelessstandard for exchanging data between two devices using radio waves inthe range of approximately 2.4 to 2.485 GHz), IEEE 802.15.4-2006,ZigBee, the Thread protocol, ultra-wideband (“UWB”), universal serialbus (“USB”) and wireless USB, and ANT+. Example LAN protocols andstandards include the 802.11 protocol and other high frequencyprotocols/systems for wireless communication in bands found in a rangeof approximately 1 GHz-60 GHz (e.g., including the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 3.6GHz, 5 GHz, or 60 GHz bands), as well as standards for suitable cablingsuch as coaxial and fiber-optic cabling. Example technologies used tofacilitate wireless WANs includes those used for LANs, as well as 2G(e.g., GPRS and EDGE), 3G (e.g., UMTS and CDMA2000), 4G (e.g., LTE andWiMax), and 5G (e.g., IMT-2020) technologies. Note, the Internet may beconsidered a WAN.

Other communication protocols and standards that may be utilized includeBitTorrent, Bluetooth Bootstrap Protocol (“BOOTP”), Domain Name System(“DNS”), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (“DHCP”), Ethernet, filetransfer protocol (“FTP”), hypertext transfer protocol (“HTTP”),infrared communication standards (e.g., IrDA or IrSimple), transmissioncontrol protocol/internet protocol (“TCP/IP”) (e.g., any of theprotocols used in each of the TCP/IP layers), real-time transportprotocol (“RTP”), real-time streaming protocol (“RTSP”), Simple MailTransfer Protocol (“SMTP”), Simple Network Management Protocol (“SNMP”),Simple Network Time Protocol (“SNIP”), secure shell protocol (“SSH”),and any other communications protocol or standard, or any combinationthereof. Regarding TCP/IP (sometimes more generally “the Internetprotocol suite”), IP addresses may be utilized for messaging by variouscomponents. Generally speaking, the term “Internet protocol suite”refers to transport, internet, and/or link layer protocols, including:TCP, UDP, DCCP, SCTP, RSVP, RDP, RDS, RUDP, PPTP, IP (e.g., IPv4, IPv6),ICMP, ICMPv6, ECN, IGMP, IPsec, etc.

Communication Link. Unless otherwise stated, a “communication link” or a“link” is a pathway or medium connecting two or more nodes. A link maybe a physical link or a logical link. A physical link is the interfaceor medium(s) over which information is transferred, and may be wired orwireless in nature. Example physicals links include (i) wired links suchas cables with a conductor for transmission of electrical energy or afiber optic connections for transmission of light and (ii) wirelesslinks such as wireless electromagnetic signals that carry informationvia changes made to one or more properties of electromagnetic waves.

As noted, a wireless link may be a wireless electromagnetic signal thatcarries information via changes made to one or more properties of anelectromagnetic wave(s). A wireless electromagnetic signal may be amicrowave or radio wave and may be referred to as a radio frequency or“RF” signal. Unless otherwise stated, described RF signals mayoscillated at a frequency within any one or more bands found in thespectrum of roughly 30 kHz to 3,000 GHz (e.g., an 802.11 signal in the2.4 GHz band). Example RF bands include the low frequency (“LF”) band at30-300 kHz, the medium frequency (“MF”) band at 300-3,000 kHz, the highfrequency (“HF”) band at 3-30 MHz, the very high frequency (“VHF”) bandat 30-300 MHz, the ultra-high frequency (“UHF”) band at 300-3,000 MHz,the super high frequency (“SHF”) band at 3-30 GHz, the extremely highfrequency (“SHF”) band at 30-300 GHz, and the tremendously highfrequency (“THF”) band at 300-3,000 GHz.

In some instances, a wireless electromagnetic signal may be a lightsignal oscillating at a frequency of roughly 300 GHz to 30 PHz withwavelengths of roughly 100 nm to 1 mm, which may be: (i) an ultravioletlight (“UV”) signal having a wavelength roughly in the range of 10nm-400 nm and a frequency roughly in the range of 750 THz-30 PHz; (ii) avisible light signal having a wavelength roughly in the range of 400nm-700 nm and a frequency roughly in the range of 430 THz-750 THz, or(iii) an infrared (“IR”) signal having a wavelength roughly in the rangeof 700 nm-1 mm and a frequency roughly in the range of 300 GHz-430 THz.Unless otherwise stated, described light signals may conform to anysuitable light signal protocol or standard, such as visible lightcommunication (VLC) standards, light fidelity (Li-Fi) standards,Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standards, IrSimple standards, etc.

A logical link between two or more nodes represents an abstraction ofthe underlying physical links or intermediary nodes connecting the twoor more nodes. For example, two or more nodes may be logically coupledvia a logical link. The logical link may be established via anycombination of physical links and intermediary nodes (e.g., routers,switches, or other networking equipment).

A link is sometimes referred to as a “communication channel.” In awireless communication system, the term “communication channel” (or just“channel”) generally refers to a particular frequency or frequency band.A carrier signal (or carrier wave) may be transmitted at the particularfrequency or within the particular frequency band of the channel. Insome instances, multiple signals may be transmitted over a singleband/channel. For example, signals may sometimes be simultaneouslytransmitted over a single band/channel via different sub-bands orsub-channels. As another example, signals may sometimes be transmittedvia the same band by allocating time slots over which respectivetransmitters and receivers use the band in question.

Computer. Generally speaking, a computer or computing device is aprogrammable machine having two principal characteristics. Namely, itresponds to a set of instructions in a well-defined manner and canexecute a prerecorded list of instructions (e.g., a program or routine).A computer according to the present disclosure is a device with aprocessor and a memory. For purposes of this disclosure, examples of acomputer include a server host, a personal computer, (e.g., desktopcomputer, laptop computer, netbook), a mobile communications device(such as a mobile “smart” phone), and devices providing functionalitythrough internal components or connection to an external computer,server, or global communications network (such as the Internet) to takedirection from or engage in processes which are then delivered to othersystem components.

Database. Generally speaking, a “database” is an organized collection ofdata, generally stored and accessed electronically from a computersystem. Generally, any suitable datastore may be referred to as a“database.” This disclosure may describe one or more databases forstoring information relating to aspects of the disclosure. Theinformation stored on a database can, for example, be related to aprivate subscriber, a content provider, a host, a security provider,etc. A server (which may or may not be hosted on the same computer asthe database) may act as an intermediary between the database and aclient by providing data from the database to the client or enabling theclient to write data to the database. One of ordinary skill in the artappreciates any reference to “a database” my refer to multipledatabases, each of which may be linked to one another.

Display Device. Generally speaking, the terms “display device” or“display” refer to an electronic visual display device that providesvisual output in the form of images, text, or video. Typically, adisplay device may be any display, screen, monitor, or projectorsuitable for displaying visual output (e.g., images or video output).Example displays include LED screens, LCD screens, CRT screens,projectors, heads up displays, smart watch displays, headset displays(e.g., VR goggles), etc.

Gateway. A (control) gateway is a network node that acts as an entranceto another network. In homes, the gateway can be the ISP (internetservice provider) that connects the user to the internet and/or adedicated network service provider. In enterprises, the gateway nodeoften acts as proxy server and firewall. The gateway is also associatedwith a router, which uses headers and forwarding tables to determinewhere packets are sent, and a switch, which provides the actual path forthe packet in and out of the gateway.

A (control) gateway for the particular purpose of connection toidentified cloud storage, often called a cloud storage gateway, is ahardware-based and/or software-based appliance located on the user'spremises that serves as a bridge between local devices and applicationsand remote cloud-based storage and hosted applications and services andare sometimes called cloud storage appliances or controllers. A cloudstorage gateway provides protocol translation and connectivity to allowincompatible technologies to communicate transparently. The gateway canmake cloud storage appear to be an NAS (network attached storage) filer,a block storage array, a backup target, a server, or an extension of theapplication itself. Local storage can be used as a cache for improvedperformance. Cloud gateway product features include encryptiontechnology to safeguard data, compression, de-duplication, WANoptimization for faster performance, snapshots, version control, anddata protection.

Graphic User Interface (GUI). See “User Interface.”

Input/Output (I/O) Interface. Generally speaking, an I/O interface of acomputer system is a hardware component (e.g., an I/O controllerinstalled on a motherboard) that communicatively connects one or moreprocessors of the computer system to one or more input or output devicessuch as UI device or peripheral devices. The I/O interface may receiveinput and output requests from a system processor, and may then senddevice-specific control signals to controlled devices based on therequests. The I/O interface may also receive data, requests, or commandsfrom connected devices that are then transmitted to system processors.I/O interfaces are sometimes called device controllers. The software ona system that interacts with a device controller and that enables thedevice controller to control or otherwise communicate with a particulardevice is generally referred to as a “device driver.”

Memory and Computer-Readable Media. Generally speaking, as used hereinthe phrase “memory” or “memory device” refers to a system or deviceincluding computer-readable media or medium (“CRM”). “CRM” refers to amedium or media accessible by the relevant computing system for placing,keeping, or retrieving information (e.g., data, computer-readableinstructions, program modules, applications, routines, etc). Note, “CRM”refers to media that is non-transitory in nature, and does not refer todisembodied transitory signals, such as radio waves.

The CRM may be implemented in any technology, device, or group ofdevices included in the relevant computing system or in communicationwith the relevant computing system. The CRM may include volatile ornonvolatile media, and removable or non-removable media. The CRM mayinclude, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to store information and which can be accessed by the computingsystem. The CRM may be communicatively coupled to a system bus, enablingcommunication between the CRM and other systems or components coupled tothe system bus. In some implementations the CRM may be coupled to thesystem bus via a memory interface (e.g., a memory controller). A memoryinterface is circuitry that manages the flow of data between the CRM andthe system bus.

Message. When used in the context of communication networks, the term“message” refers to a unit of communication, represented by a set ofdata, transmitted or received by a node (e.g., via a link). The set ofdata representing the message may include a payload (i.e., the contentintended to be delivered) and protocol overhead. The overhead mayinclude routing information and metadata pertaining to the protocoland/or payload (e.g., identifying the protocol for the message, theintended recipient node, the originating node, the size of the messageand/or payload, data integrity information for checking the integrity ofthe message, etc.). In some instances, a packet or sequence of packetsmay be thought of as a message.

Module. When used in the context of a software system, the term “module”generally refers to a set of applications, routines, or executableinstructions. See “Routine.” In some instances, the term “module” refersto a component of a physical system (e.g., a car includes a number ofmodules, such as an engine, transmission, brakes, etc.). The context ofthe use of the term will make clear whether the “module” refers to asoftware component or non-software component.

Network. As used herein and unless otherwise specified, when used in thecontext of system(s) or device(s) that communicate information or data,the term “network” refers to a collection of nodes (e.g., devices orsystems capable of sending, receiving or forwarding information) andlinks which are connected to enable telecommunication between the nodes.

A network may include dedicated routers, switches, or hubs responsiblefor forwarding directing traffic between nodes, and, optionally,dedicated devices responsible for configuring and managing the network.Some or all of the nodes may be also adapted to function as routers inorder to direct traffic sent between other network devices. Networkdevices may be inter-connected in a wired or wireless manner, andnetwork devices may have different routing and transfer capabilities.For example, dedicated routers may be capable of high volumetransmissions while some nodes may be capable of sending and receivingrelatively little traffic over the same period of time. Additionally,the connections between nodes on a network may have different throughputcapabilities and different attenuation characteristics. A fiberopticcable, for example, may be capable of providing a bandwidth severalorders of magnitude higher than a wireless link because of thedifference in the inherent physical limitations of the medium. A networkmay include networks or sub-networks, such as a local area network (LAN)or a wide area network (WAN).

Node. Generally speaking, the term “node” refers to a connection point,redistribution point, or a communication endpoint. A node may be anydevice or system (e.g., a computer system) capable of sending, receivingor forwarding information. For example, end-devices or end-systems thatoriginate or ultimately receive a message are nodes. Intermediarydevices that receive and forward the message (e.g., between twoend-devices) are also generally considered to be “nodes.”

Object. Generally speaking, the term “object,” when used in the contextof a software system, refers to a variable, a data structure, afunction, a method, an instance of a class or template, or somecombination thereof. An object is typically referenceable by a unique orrelatively unique identifier.

Processor. The various operations of example methods described hereinmay be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors.Generally speaking, the terms “processor” and “microprocessor” are usedinterchangeably, each referring to a computer processor configured tofetch and execute instructions stored to memory. By executing theseinstructions, the processor(s) can carry out various operations orfunctions defined by the instructions. The processor(s) may betemporarily configured (e.g., by instructions or software) orpermanently configured to perform the relevant operations or functions(e.g., a processor for an Application Specific Integrated Circuit, orASIC), depending on the particular embodiment. A processor may be partof a chipset, which may also include, for example, a memory controlleror an I/O controller. A chipset is a collection of electronic componentsin an integrated circuit that is typically configured to provide I/O andmemory management functions as well as a plurality of general purpose orspecial purpose registers, timers, etc. Generally speaking, one or moreof the described processors may be communicatively coupled to othercomponents (such as memory devices and I/O devices) via a system bus.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the processor or processors may be located in a single location (e.g.,within a home environment, an office environment or as a server farm),while in other embodiments the processors may be distributed across anumber of locations.

Words such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

Routine. Unless otherwise noted, a “routine,” “module,” or “application”described in this disclosure refers to a set of computer-readableinstructions that may be stored on a CRM. Generally, a CRM storescomputer-readable code (“code”) representing or corresponding to theinstructions, and the code is adapted to be executed by a processor tofacilitate the functions described as being represented by or associatedwith the routine or application. Each routine or application may beimplemented via a stand-alone executable file, a suite or bundle ofexecutable files, one or more non-executable files utilized by anexecutable file or program, or some combination thereof. In someinstances, unless otherwise stated, one or more of the describedroutines may be hard-coded into one or more EPROMs, EEPROMs, applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), or any other hardware or firmware elements.

Further, unless otherwise stated, each routine or application may beembodied as: (i) a stand-alone software program, (ii) a module orsub-module of a software program, (iii) a routine or sub-routine of asoftware program, or (iv) a resource invoked or accessed by a softwareprogram via a “call” to thereby cause the system to implement the taskor function associated with the resource. The call may be (i) a“function call” that is invoked to cause execution of a resource (e.g.,set of instructions) stored at a library accessible by the softwareprogram; (ii) a “system call” that is invoked to cause execution of asystem resource (e.g., often running in privileged kernel space and onlyexecutable only by the operating system); (iii) a “remote call” that isinvoked to cause a logical or physical entity with a different addressspace to execute a resource; or (iv) some combination thereof. As anexample, a routine executed by a processor of a device may invoke a“remote call” to cause execution of a resource at (i) a second device(e.g., a server host, an end-user device, a networking device, aperipheral device in communication with the device, or some otherphysical device); (ii) a virtual-machine on the same or differentdevice; (iii) a processor (e.g., CPU or GPU) that is different from theoriginal processor and that may be internal or external to the deviceexecuting the routine; or (iv) some combination thereof.

Each routine may be represented by code implemented in any desiredlanguage, such as source code (e.g., interpretable for execution orcompilable into a lower level code), object code, bytecode, machinecode, microcode, or the like. The code may be written in any suitableprogramming or scripting language (e.g., C, C++, Java, Actionscript,Objective-C, Javascript, CSS, Python, XML, Swift, Ruby, Elixir, Rust,Scala, or others).

Router. Generally speaking, a “router” is a device that forwards datapackets along networks and is connected to at least two networks,commonly two LANs, WANs, or a LAN and its ISP's network. Routers may belocated at a “gateway” where two or more networks connect. Typically,routers use headers and forwarding tables to determine paths forforwarding packets and use protocols to communicate with each other toconfigure a route between hosts. This is in contrast to a networkswitch, which typically forwards traffic to a next node withoutnecessarily knowing the final destination of the traffic or the path ofthe traffic to the final destination.

Server. Generally speaking, a server is a program or set of routinesthat manages network resources or services to provide functionality forother programs or devices called “clients.” Servers are typically hostedby a host computer, and this host computer may itself be referred to asa “server.” Example servers include database servers, file servers, mailservers, print servers, web servers, game servers, and applicationservers. Servers may be dedicated (e.g., wherein the software andhardware are used exclusively or nearly exclusively for serverfunctions) or virtual (e.g., wherein the server is hosted by a virtualmachine on a physical machine and/or wherein the server shares hardwareor software resources of a single machine with another operatingsystem).

Switch. Generally speaking, a “network switch” or “switch” is a devicethat forwards traffic (e.g., packets) in a network. Generally speaking,a switch stores a table associating each port with one or more end-nodeaddresses. When it receives traffic directed to an end-node, it performsa look-up on the table to determine to which port the traffic should beforwarded. When the table doesn't not link an end-node address to anyparticular port, it performs a discovery operation by broadcasting amessage to all of its ports directed to the end-node and waits for aresponse from the end-node. When the response is received, it updatesthe table to associate the new end-node address with the responsiveport. Generally speaking, the switch does not store data pertaining tointermediary nodes between the switch and the end-node. (look at EmersonApp).

User Interface (UI). Generally speaking, a user interface refers to thecomponents of a computer system by which a user and the computer systeminteract. The UI components may be hardware, software, or somecombination thereof, and may include UI input components, UI outputcomponents, or some combination thereof.

Example UI output components include: (i) visual output components suchas lights (e.g., LEDs) and electronic displays (e.g., LCD, LED, CRT,plasma, projection displays, heads-up displays, etc.), (ii) audio outputcomponents such as speakers, and (iii) motion generating components suchas motors that provide haptic feedback.

Example UI input components include: (i) mechanical or electricalcomponents for detecting physical or touch input, such as hardwareactuators (e.g., those used for a keyboard, a mouse, “hard” buttonsfound on a tablet or phone, etc.) or electrical sensors (e.g., resistiveor capacitive touch sensors); (ii) audio sensors (e.g., microphones) fordetecting audio input, such as voice commands; (iii) image sensors fordetecting image or video input, such as those found in a camera (e.g.,enabling facial recognition input or gesture input without requiring theuser to touch the device); and (iv) motion sensors (e.g.,accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) for detecting motion of the computersystem itself (e.g., enabling a user to provide input by rotating orotherwise moving the computer system).

Some systems provide a graphical user interface (GUI) by way of a UIoutput component such as an electronic display. Generally speaking, aGUI is generated via a routine and enables a user to interact withindicators and other graphic elements displayed on at the electronicdisplay. Generally speaking, the graphic elements of a GUI may be outputelements (i.e., conveying some sort of information to the user), controlelements (i.e., being user “interactable” to cause the execution of anaction by the system), or both (e.g., an icon may include an imagerepresenting a browser and may be interacted with to launch thebrowser).

Example GUI control elements include buttons (e.g., radio buttons, checkboxes, etc.), sliders, list boxes, spinner elements, drop-down lists,menus, menu bars, toolbars, interactive icons, text boxes, windows thatcan be moved or minimized and maximized, etc.

Generally speaking, a window is an area on the screen that displaysinformation, with its contents being displayed independently from therest of the screen. Generally, a menu is a list of selectable choicesthat a user may select to execute a corresponding command (e.g., tocause the menu to expand and display additional choices, to cause a newwindow to be generated, etc.). Generally, an icon is small imagerepresenting an object such as a file, an application, a web page, or acommand. A user can typically interact with an icon (e.g., by single ordouble pressing or clicking) to execute a command, open a document, orrun an application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing hybrid local and non-localcontrol of luminaires in a process control environment, the systemcomprising: a luminaire configured to implement a first control schemeto generate a first one or more commands to control a light source ofthe luminaire based on one or more of: (a) a schedule; (b) a firstparameter representing a level of ambient light; and (c) a secondparameter representing a level of detected motion; a supervisorycontroller configured to implement a second control scheme forcontrolling one or more luminaires; a gateway configured to enablecommunication between the luminaire and the supervisory controller,wherein the gateway is configured to: (i) couple to the luminaire via afirst link conforming to a process control protocol configured to enablefield devices in a process control environment to wirelessly communicateby way of command-response communications utilizing a preconfigured setof protocol parameters for the process control protocol; and (ii) coupleto the supervisory controller without utilizing the process controlprotocol; wherein the luminaire is further configured to: (i) receive,via the first link, a wireless signal carrying a protocol parameter fromthe preconfigured set of protocol parameters; (ii) analyze a value ofthe protocol parameter to identify a second command to control the lightsource of the luminaire, wherein the second command is generated by wayof the supervisory controller implementing the second control scheme;and (iii) prioritize the second control scheme over the first controlscheme by implementing the second command to control the light source,such that the light source is controlled in accordance with the secondcommand regardless of whether a conflict exists between the secondcommand and the first one or more commands generated by way of theluminaire implementing the first control scheme.
 2. The system of claim1, wherein the luminaire is a first luminaire, and wherein the one ormore luminaires includes: (i) the first luminaire and (ii) a secondluminaire coupled to one or more of the first luminaire and thesupervisory controller.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processcontrol protocol is a first process control protocol; and wherein thesecond luminaire is coupled to the first luminaire via a wired linkutilizing a second process control protocol distinct from the firstprocess control protocol
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein secondluminaire is configured to receive, via the first luminaire, a hybridsignal including an analog 4-20 mA signal and a digital signalsuperimposed on the analog 4-20 mA signal.
 5. The system of claim 3,wherein the first process control protocol is WirelessHART; wherein thesecond process control protocol is HART; and wherein the supervisorycontroller is coupled to the gateway via a second link conforming to aprotocol from the Internet protocol suite.
 6. The system of claim 5,wherein the second link also conforms to the message queuing telemetrytransport (MQTT) protocol.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the firstparameter indicates the level of ambient light within an area that theluminaire is configured to illuminate via the light source.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first parameter indicates the level ofambient light within a first area outside a second area that theluminaire is configured to light.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein thefirst parameter is set according to a light sensor external to thehousing.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the luminaire is a firstluminaire, and wherein the light sensor is included in a secondluminaire coupled to one or more of the supervisory controller and thefirst luminaire.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second parameteris a binary parameter configured to hold a first value representing afirst level of detected motion or a second value representing a secondlevel of detected motion.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondparameter is configured to hold three or more values representing threeor more levels of detected motion.
 13. The system of claim 1, furtherincluding a process controller coupled to the luminaire and a fielddevice coupled to the luminaire, wherein the process controller isconfigured to transmit to the field device or receive from the fielddevice, via the luminaire, parameters representing: (i) commands tocontrol the field device or (ii) measurements obtained by the fielddevice.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the supervisory controller iscoupled to the gateway via a second link conforming to the HART-IPprotocol.
 15. The system of claim 1, further including a mobile controldevice configured to retrieve one or more parameters regarding theluminaire from one or more of: the luminaire, the gateway, and thesupervisory controller.
 16. A luminaire comprising: (A) a housing; (B) alight source disposed within the housing such that light is projectablefrom the light source to an area external to the housing; (C) acommunication interface disposed in the housing and configured tocommunicate according to a process control protocol configured to enablefield devices in a process control environment to wirelessly communicateby way of command-response communications utilizing a preconfigured setof protocol parameters for the process control protocol; (D) a luminairecontroller configured to: (i) implement a first control scheme togenerate a first one or more commands to control the light source basedon one or more of: (a) a schedule; (b) a first parameter representing alevel of ambient light; and (c) a second parameter representing a levelof detected motion; (ii) receive, via the communication interface, awireless signal carrying a protocol parameter from the preconfigured setof protocol parameters; (iii) analyze a value of the protocol parameterto identify a second command to control the light source, wherein thesecond command is generated by way of the supervisory controllerimplementing the second control scheme; and (iii) prioritize the secondcontrol scheme over the first control scheme by implementing the secondcommand to control the light source, such that the light source iscontrolled in accordance with the second command regardless of whether aconflict exists between the second command and the first one or morecommands generated by way of the first control scheme.
 17. The luminaireof claim 16 wherein the luminaire controller is further configured toutilize timestamps, received via wireless signals conforming to theprocess control protocol, to identify a current time; wherein the firstcontrol scheme includes an analysis comparing the schedule to thecurrent time.
 18. The luminaire of claim 16, wherein the luminairecontroller is further configured to: receive, via the communicationinterface, a second wireless signal carrying a second value of theprotocol parameter; analyze the second value of the protocol parameterto identify a third command to control the light source, wherein thethird command is generated by way of a second luminaire implementing athird control scheme; implement the third command when it does notconflict with the second command; and ignore the third command when itconflicts with the second command.
 19. The luminaire of claim 16,further including one or more sensors for detecting one or more ofambient light and motion; wherein one or more of the first and secondparameters are set according to the one or more sensors.
 20. Theluminaire of claim 16, wherein one or more of the first and secondparameters are set according to one or more dedicated sensors externalto the housing.
 21. The luminaire of claim 16, wherein one or more ofthe first and second parameters are set according to one or more sensorsinternal to a housing of a second luminaire.
 22. The luminaire of claim16, wherein the housing is configured for intrinsically safe operationin a hazardous environment.
 23. The luminaire of claim 16, wherein thefirst parameter is configured to hold three or more values representingthree or more levels of ambient light detected in the area and whereinthe first control scheme is configured to increase or decrease anintensity of light projected in the area to drive the value of the firstparameter to a desired level of ambient light.
 24. The luminaire ofclaim 16, wherein the luminaire controller is further configured totransmit information to the supervisory controller by transmitting, viathe communication interface, a wireless signal carrying a one or moreprotocol parameters from the preconfigured set of protocol parameters.25. A method comprising: implementing, by a luminaire, a first controlscheme to generate a first one or more commands to control a lightsource of the luminaire based on one or more of: (a) a schedule; (b) afirst parameter representing a level of ambient light; and (c) a secondparameter representing a level of detected motion; receiving, at theluminaire, a wireless signal conforming to a process control protocolconfigured to enable field devices in a process control environment towirelessly communicate by way of command-response communicationsutilizing a preconfigured set of protocol parameters for the processcontrol protocol; analyzing the wireless signal to identify a protocolparameter, from the preconfigured set of protocol parameters, carried bythe wireless signal; analyzing the protocol parameter to identify asecond command to control the light source, the second command generatedand transmitted by a supervisory controller implementing a secondcontrol scheme; prioritizing the second control scheme over the firstcontrol scheme by implementing the second command to control the lightsource, such that the light source is controlled in accordance with thesecond command regardless of whether a conflict exists between thesecond command and the first one or more commands generated by way ofthe luminaire implementing the first control scheme.
 26. The method ofclaim 25, wherein each of the first and second protocol parametersrelates to a light intensity.
 27. The method of claim 25, furtherincluding: detecting, via a light sensor of the luminaire, the level ofambient light; and setting the first parameter according to the detectedlevel of ambient light.
 28. The method of claim 25, further include:detecting, via a light sensor external to the luminaire, the level ofambient light; and setting the first parameter according to the detectedlevel of ambient light.
 29. The method of claim 25, further including:detecting, via a motion sensor of the luminaire, the level of detectedmotion; and setting the second parameter according to the detected levelof motion.
 30. The method of claim 25, further including: detecting, viaa motion sensor external to the luminaire, the level of detected motion;setting the second parameter according to the detected level of motion.31. The method of claim 25, wherein the wireless signal is received froma gateway, wherein the method further includes: receiving from asupervisory controller, at a gateway communicatively disposed betweenthe luminaire and the supervisory controller, the second command;encoding the second command onto the protocol parameter and generating amessage to carry the protocol parameter; encrypting message; andtransmitting the message via the wireless signal so that the wirelesssignal carrying the message is receivable by the luminaire; whereinanalyzing the wireless signal to identify the protocol parameterincludes decrypting the message to identify the protocol parameter. 32.A method comprising generating a set of commands for controlling a setof luminaires; encoding the set of commands into a process controlmessage including one or more protocol parameters selected from apreconfigured set of protocol parameters for a process control protocolthat is configured to enable field devices in a process controlenvironment to wirelessly communicate by way of command-responsecommunications utilizing the preconfigured set of protocol parameters;wherein the one or more protocol parameters carry the set of commands;wherein the process control message is formatted according to theprocess control protocol; encoding, according to one or more protocolsfrom the Internet protocol suite, the process control message into anInternet protocol suite (IP) message so that the process control messageis encapsulated in the IP message; transmitting the IP message to agateway configured to: (i) receive the IP message; (ii) decode the IPmessage, according to the one or more protocols from the Internetprotocol suite, to identify the process control message; (iii) decodethe process control message, according to the process control protocol,to identify (a) the one or more protocol parameters carrying the set ofcommands; and (ii) corresponding device addresses for each of the one ormore protocol parameters; and (v) transmit the one or more protocolparameters to the corresponding device addresses so that the set ofluminaires assigned the device addresses (a) receives the one or moreprotocol parameters, (b) decodes the one or more protocol parameters toidentify the set of commands for controlling the set of luminaires, and(c) control the set of luminaires in accordance with the set ofcommands.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein generating the set ofcommands includes automatically generating the set of commands based ona control scheme implemented by a supervisory controller.
 34. The methodof claim 33, further including: receiving, at the supervisorycontroller, one or more parameters set by the set of luminaires; whereinautomatically generating the set of commands includes automaticallygenerating the set of commands based, at least in part, on the values ofthe one or more parameters set by the set of luminaires.
 35. The methodof claim 34, wherein the one or more parameters set by the set ofluminaires includes a motion parameter.
 36. The method of claim 34,wherein the one or more parameters set by the set of luminaires includesan ambient light parameter.
 37. The method of claim 32, wherein the setof commands are manually set according to user input.